Look Right
by nomorealurker
Summary: Narcissa and Hermione run into each other outside the Ministry in Muggle London. Rita Skeeter may receive a thank you note.


Narcissa looked up at the blue London sky as she stepped off the kerb, and was immediately embraced from behind and jerked backward as though taking a portkey. The bright red paint of a double-decker bus passed before her eyes as the resulting wind whipped her satin dress and hair in its violent eddies. A somewhat familiar feminine voice whispered in her ear.

"I have always found following the instructions on the pavement good for my continued three-dimensionality. You disagree?"

Narcissa blinked and looked down. "LOOK RIGHT" was painted on the pavement in large white letters. Realising the full enormity of what had just nearly happened, she sagged against her saviour, whose arms were still wrapped round her waist. Recovering herself, she turned round and looked straight into the serious brown eyes of

"Hermione Granger," she said with awe.

"Missus Malfoy."

"Miss Black."

"Oh, I am sorry. I was not aware."

"You needn't apologise. No one is, other than myself, Lucius, and the kind young man in the Department of Magical Law who assisted me with the paperwork not ten minutes ago."

"Ah, I see." Hermione's hands still rested on Narcissa's hips as they looked at each other. She hesitated before she spoke again. "Are you quite well, Miss Black?"

_I am now._ "Ah, I believe so. I was, I suppose, a bit out of sorts. Dazed, perhaps. I am not quite certain what to do at the moment."

She noticed at that moment that Hermione was still holding her, and reached up tentatively and slid her left hand around Hermione's elbow. This seemed to break the spell. Hermione blinked and let go of Narcissa's waist, but the gentle grip on her elbow remained. She looked down at her arm, and then back up at Narcissa, who did not seem to notice.

"Well, since you seem to have no plans, would you care for a glass of wine?"

Narcissa closed her eyes and nodded. "I believe I would like that."

Hermione looked at Narcissa's serene visage which was directed at the sun. Her eyes remained closed, and her lips, coated in a dark red, were turned up slightly at the corners. She seemed deep in thought. Hermione hated to disturb her, but they remained less than half a metre from the kerb. Narcissa did not show any signs of relinquishing her elbow, so she turned and slid her captive arm behind the woman's back, allowing her hand to rest just at the base of her spine, and gave her a gentle nudge. This brought Narcissa out of her reverie, and she dropped her hand from Hermione's elbow. Hermione smiled at her and gestured in front of them.

"Shall we, then?"

"Ah, yes. Quite."

Hermione kept her hand at the small of Narcissa's back, guiding her as they strolled along and studying her out of the corner of her eye. Hermione was rather bemused at the situation. She had been making her way toward the street entrance to the Ministry—she felt she ought take advantage of the lovely break in the weather by walking—when she noticed Narcissa drifting along. She was debating whether to greet the woman and processing the surprise of seeing her in Muggle London when she saw the oncoming bus and realised that Narcissa did not.

Now she found herself with an arm curled familiarly around a mild acquaintance who, so far as she knew, regarded her with tolerance and a vague respect. The acquaintance in question had opened her eyes when they began moving, but had remained silent as though in a reverie. Hermione mentally shrugged and steered her toward the entrance of the neighbourhood pub. After ensconcing Narcissa in a booth, she went to the bar and acquired a bottle of Torrontés, hoping that her companion would approve of the dry white Muggle wine.

Returning to the table, she set a glass in front of Narcissa and poured her a generous measure before sitting across from her and pouring her own. She took a sip, leaned back, and waited. She did not have to wait long.

Narcissa sipped from her wine, and finally looked up to meet Hermione's eyes. "I suppose you find my behaviour quite odd?"

Hermione smiled a half smile. "Suppose I do? Would that offend you terribly?"

"It might, but I suppose it ought not."

"I suppose not."

Narcissa looked at her companion wryly. "I apologise. The last few days have been something of a whirl, and then you appeared out of nowhere to save me from being flattened by some infernal Muggle contraption. Which," she took a sip of her wine, "is something I find to be a grand coincidence."

"Is it?"

"It is. You ought know, Miss Granger, that you were just the person I was planning to contact, which is why your sudden appearance somewhat rattled me. I left by the street entrance for two reasons. The first was to remove myself temporarily from wizarding society, and the other was so that I might have a walk in the fresh air and think of how I should phrase my letter when I owled you."

"Ah?" Hermione felt a blush crawl up her cheeks. At the beginning of Narcissa's explanation, she was utterly mystified, but she now suspected she knew where it was going, and her brain began to madly attempt to process the situation while yet listening to the woman across from her speak.

"Indeed. You see, Miss Granger, you were the...catalyst, I suppose...for my asking Lucius for a divorce."

"Indeed?" The blush began to burn.

"Quite. I read _The Daily Prophet_ front to back, daily."

One week prior, Rita Skeeter had found Hermione Granger at Morgana's Manse, a club on Shaftesbury Avenue near Piccadilly Circus, dressed in extremely tight clothing and dancing rather intimately with a Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies. The resulting article and photograph took up nearly the entire society page. The outing of Hermione Granger shook the reader base of the _Prophet_, at least those who had not been paying attention for the five years since the war. Hermione had hardly been in the closet—unless she was there with another woman.

Hermione found that it was possible to blush even harder under the stare Narcissa directed at her. She took a deep breath and a drink of her wine, and replied, "Ah, you do? It is rather...informative...on occasion."

"On this occasion, it really rather was. You see, I read an article a few days ago which brought me to a very important realisation."

Hermione at last summoned what was left of her Gryffindor poise, took a deep breath, and stared straight back at Narcissa. "Indeed? And I presume you shall share that revelation with me?"

Narcissa smiled and ran a manicured nail around the rim of her wine glass. The nail, Hermione noticed, matched Narcissa's lipstick.

"Oh yes, I shall. And here it is: it turns out, you see, that I am not, in fact 'The Ice Queen' of reputation."

Hermione began to issue a denial, but Narcissa stopped her.

"No, my dear Miss Granger, I know how people speak of me. And I deny nothing. Lucius always did leave me rather cold. You, on the other hand," she lowered her voice, "have quite the opposite effect."

Hermione felt a clench in her nether regions and was suddenly acutely aware of the texture of her lace bra. She said nothing. Narcissa smiled and went on.

"I had long considered that women might be more for me—not that I had the option of finding out—but that photograph confirmed every suspicion I have had and many more I had not yet realised. I may—and had someone told me I would be saying this I would have laughed them onto the Continent—have to send Rita Skeeter a thank you card."

This broke the tension. Hermione laughed as Narcissa took another sip of wine, quirking her eyebrow as she did so. Hermione leaned forward with her elbows on the table and chin in both hands.

"So, what was the owl going to say?"

"Well, you see, I was interrupted in my composition by a woman with deliciously strong arms yanking me away from my doom. So I am not quite sure. I do think, however, that it may have began with begging your pardon for my forwardness, continued with a request for a drink, and ended with my warm regards."

"How convenient since we are, at this very moment, having a drink."

"Indeed! It is the greatest of serendipity. Now, the question is, are we having a drink because you found me dazed in a Muggle street, or because I have just confessed to you my innermost secret?"

"Well, it began as the former, but at this moment, I would say that I am having a drink with you because you are both attractive and well-spoken. It is so very difficult to find the two in a single person."

Narcissa smiled, and then became serious. "Miss Granger, I do not wish for you to feel as though you owe me anything. I am pleased to be out of my marriage whether you want me or you do not. You were merely the first person who came to mind, and, as I said, the catalyst."

"I am glad to be of service." Hermione smiled. "And I think I understand what you are saying. I am flattered. And I do think I would like to get to know you better, Miss Black."

"Narcissa."

"Hermione, then."

Narcissa smiled. "Hermione, then." She leaned back against the booth. "So, Hermione, then, what have you been doing other than dancing with professional Quidditch players since the war's end?"

Hermione mirrored her action, settling back against the cushion. "Well, immediately after the battle, I stayed at Hogwarts with Minerva and some of the other professors, and we repaired the castle."

Narcissa cringed, and Hermione reached out to take her hand. "I saw you several times during the battle, and I never once saw you cast a spell which was not a shield charm, a Patronus, or a healing spell. And furthermore, Narcissa, I noticed that all the spells you cast benefited the defenders. I know for sure that you saved Tonks' life and stopped Minerva bleeding at least once." Hermione looked steadily into Narcissa's shame-filled blue eyes. "You also saved Harry's life, and therefore mine, and likely those of many others."

Narcissa blinked away a tear. "I ought have had the courage to openly join you. I ought have had the courage to save you from Bella. I ought have had the courage to leave it all years ago—"

"Hush. That is all water under the bridge, and you came through when it came down to it. And I did not bring up the battle to make you uncomfortable. I am quite sorry."

Narcissa sniffed. "Sorry, I did not mean to get emotional. My lack of action throughout that war is one of my greatest demons."

Hermione smiled. "We all have them. They get better with time." She paused. "At any rate, Minerva and I and the others repaired most of the castle over the summer, and then I completed my seventh year. Since then, I have been apprenticing under Minerva while I decide my next move. It is fairly mundane, but a welcome mundanity despite making for unexciting conversation."

"And you spend the rest of your time breaking hearts, I presume?"

Hermione laughed. "Oh, I highly doubt that. I know most of the Harpies because Ginny plays for them, and most of my socialising is with them. As they are infinitely more alluring than I, they do most of the heartbreaking. Never mine, fortunately."

"I would hardly say that any given woman is more alluring than you. You did, after all, a-lure me." Narcissa winked as Hermione giggled.

"I never would have thought you to be one who would make awful puns. You are so dignified._"_

"My dear Hermione-then, dignity is an excellent cover for discomfort, and furthermore, an excellent way to ward off unwanted conversation. Remaining aloof is more effective than a Shield Charm for many applications." Narcissa smiled. "But you might find that my dignity and aloofness require a great deal of energy which I find myself suddenly no longer willing to expend on the matter. I should like to expend my energy...elsewhere."

Hermione suddenly found herself mesmerised by the way that Narcissa was biting gently on her own lower lip, and forced herself to close her eyes. This was not a situation for which she had at all prepared herself. She was only in London today because she was running some errands for Minerva-errands which she had not actually run. Having a drink with Narcissa Black had not been on her radar in any way. Yet, that did not stop her now wanting to jump over the table and snog the woman senseless, followed by shagging her senseless against a convenient wall. Her breath hitched at the thought. No, that would not be the right thing to do. Hermione squeezed Narcissa's hand, which she still held, and opened her eyes.

"Have dinner with me tonight?"

"I thought you would never ask."

"I almost did not, but that was because I was instead contemplating snogging you senseless. Fortunately, my manners won out."

"I do hope that dinner does not preclude being...snogged...senseless by you." Narcissa smirked at her.

"Indeed not, but let us have dinner like civilised people first, and move on to the snogging thereafter?"

"It is a date, then."


End file.
